Clay's Summer Adventure2005

2005-08-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

Corn Island was the perfect place to end my trip. I spent time relaxing on the beach, diving, and exploring the island. For as beautiful as it was, we were some of the only tourists. The remoteness, the tropical beaches, and getting to spend some time hanging out with my sister made the trip really special; I can�t think of a better way to end it. I am in Managua today then flying to Dallas on Tuesday before going down to Houston on Wednesday. Thanks to everyone who has been following my trip and I hope that you will send me an email or call me sometime once I am back in the states.

2005-08-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

One of the days on Big Corn I went out diving with one of the people from my sister�s group. We took a long boat ride out in a panga to a rock outcropping in the middle of the ocean. The dive was great, we saw sharks, barracuda, rays, eels, and tons of other fish.

2005-08-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

So, flying out the the Corn Islands was an adventure. We took a small plane, a really small plane, from Managua out the the island. As you can see in the picture, I had a nice view of the cockpit and busied myself watching the storm radar. Apparently they were not that concerned with hijackers getting ahold of the plane, presumably because the only building that it could have brought down would be an outhouse.

2005-08-11T07:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I met up with my sister who has been working in Nicaragua all summer as a project supervisor for Amigos de las Americas. She and the other supervisors had about 45 high school kids in Granada for their debriefing from the summer. All of the vols go home today and my sister, the other staff, and I are going out the Corn Islands in the Caribbean for a few days before flying home.

2005-08-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

I went diving in a freshwater lake that is in the bottom of a volcanic crater outside Granada. The dive was a little different than a normal pleasure dive though because I was helping some researchers to spear fish for a study that they were doing. Apparently the government introduced a fish into the lake and with it a parasite that east the eyes of one particular native species. This made them easier to spear, but it was really sad to see all the blind fish.

2005-08-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

So my good luck of accidentally being in a town when they are having a festival continues. Today in Granada I was here for there running of the bulls. Ok, so there were only 5 but when you mix several thousand spectators, a couple hundred cowboys on horseback, lots of firecrackers, absolutely no fences, and 5 scared bulls, and turn them all lose on the central streets of a colonial town it makes for a good time. Oh, and I got to see a police officer tazer a guy who was misbehaving.

2005-08-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

While in Granada I took a tour of the small islands near the town that were formed by a volcanic explosion thousands of years ago. We went out in kayaks that our guide had made himself and were mostly stable and leak proof. The trip was great because we got to see all sorts of birds and wildlife, even a rattlesnake.

2005-08-07T18:05:00.000-07:00

After Leon I headed down to Granada, the other of Nicaragua´s old Colonial towns. Unlike Leon, Granada is somewhat of a tourist area. The town has a very nice colonial charm to it and is dominated in the background by a large dormant volcano. The central park is great, with a lot of shady trees and great people watching.

2005-08-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

I spent my first few days in Nicaragua in Leon, It was a really nice town with what is allegedly the most impressive church in Central America. Now, I have not been everywhere in Central America but I certainly hope it is not the most impressive church. I mean it was nice and was very large inside but lacking in impressiveness. I just thought the blueness of the sky was amazing in this picture.

On to Nicaragua, country # 12

2005-08-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

I did my last two dives in Utila Tuesday morning (1 very deep to 150 feet, a PADI no-no but really fun) and then caught the afternoon ferry back to the mainland. After a day an a half of taking: ferry / taxi / bus / taxi / very cheap hotel (similar to prison cell) / taxi / bus / taxi / microbus / taxi, I arrived in Leon, Nicaragua. I am going to spend a few days here and then go down to Granada to meet up with my sister and all of her Amigos.

2005-08-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

The place that I stayed was right ont he dock, so I could walk 50 feet in the morning and be on the dive boat. Tha staff at the shop was super friendly and very laid back. Since I had a lot more experience than most of the fun divers there, I hung out with the other divemasters a lot. I also got an offer to come back and work for a couple months sometime but I don�t think that can happen any time in the forseeable future.

2005-08-04T10:18:00.000-07:00

The diving was great on Utila. I spent 5 days and did a total of 15 dives in beautiful water with white-sand beaches. It was super hot and humid there so I spent as much time as possible underwater trying to cool off. I happened to be on the island the weekend that they had their Carnival celebration, so the Saturday night that I was there had a parade and lots of street parties that went late into the night. There are only about 6000 residents on the island and I think every one of them was out that night.

Copan and Scuba Diving in Honduras

2005-07-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

After a day in Antigua I left on a very early bus to Copan Ruins in Honduras. I got in early in the morning and saw the ruins in 2 hours. They were really amazing, very detailed in their stone carvings. Unfortunately, my camera batteries died and I did not have time to buy new ones and go back, so I have only memories and no photos.

I saw that I had no time to go back because after those two hours I grabbed a bus to La Cieba on the northern coast of Honduras. Then next morning I got on a ferry out to Utila Island and I was scuba diving by the early afternoon. I plan to stay here and dive for at least 3 or 4 more days. The Internet is slow and expensive here so I will not be posting pictures until mid next week sometime. Until then I am going to try to spend as much time underwater as possible. Ummmmm Nitrogen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2005-07-26T16:42:00.000-07:00

I had read in my guidebook about climbing this volcano and it said that it could be dangerous at times and you had to check with the locals. I figured since our guide was going, that was good enough for me. Apparently the officials felt differently. I asked our guide later as we were peering into the crater, looking at lava, and heating our hands over a plume of hot gas escaping from a large crevice, "when was the last time that this volcano shot rocks in the air?" He replied confidently that it had been about 3 months. I was not so confident.

2005-07-26T16:36:00.000-07:00

As usual, I did not sit around long once I got into Antigua. While I was out looking for breakfast I found a travel agency that had a last minute cancellation for a tour to an active volcano. So I called the hotel and told them that I was going to be checking in later in the day and I jumped into the tour van. This is the volcano that we climbed up, the summit is about 2500 m (about 8000ft).

2005-07-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

So I decided to go to Antigua Guatemala on a whim and caught an overnight bus. The trip itself would not have been bad if I had not gotten seated next to the biggest Guatemalan that I had ever seen. He was seriously about 1.6 normal Guatemalan, or 1.35 American (at the current exchange rates). That part aside, Antigua is a really beautiful city with a wonderful history. I snapped this picture on the way to my hotel at about 7am.

2005-07-25T16:12:00.000-07:00

One of the mysteries of Tikal is what happened to the Maya civilization. There seems to be no reason why a culture that was obviously thriving disappeared over 100 years ago. I have my own theory that they were carried off by the ravenous mosquitoes that prowl the site even to this day, still thirsty for blood.

2005-07-25T16:08:00.000-07:00

One of the most amazing things about Tikal is that the ruins are partially obscured by the jungle. Centuries-old trees grow out of ancient ruins and monkeys, birds, and other animals howl in the distance.

2005-07-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

From Belize, I went to Tikal ruins in Northern Guatemala. The place absolutely blew my mind. There was no amazing vantage like at Machu Picchu but there is something particularly stunning about giant stone pyramids rising from the floor of a tropical jungle. It also helps that most of the work done by the Maya here predates Machu Picchu by over 1000 years.

2005-07-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it is not that amazing of a picture, but I felt that I had to post something from Belize, even if I was only there for about 10 hours. Woo Hoo, first time on the Caribbean. ALSO: I want to apologize for the title on the previous post, it seemed like a good idea at the time, but in hindsight is completely lame.

Five for Flying

2005-07-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

I leave Panama tomorrow morning really early, so I think that means a night sleeping in the airport. My flight leaves at 6am, stops in Costa Rica, change planes in El Salvador, arrive in Belize, see Belize City, then catch a bus to Flores in Guatamala. That´s 5 countries in one day, although I am not sure the two in the middle really count.

2005-07-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

The old neighborhood in Panama is called the Casco Viejo and is very French-looking in places. While this picture is prety, most of the area is a dangerous slum, so nightfall was a definite cue to leave.

2005-07-23T12:47:00.000-07:00

Once I got to Panama I met up with my mom and stepdad and their Amigos tour group. I got to feel like a tourist for a few days, traveling around in a group of 20, staying in nice hotels, and having good meals. One of the things we did was to visit the Panama Canal. It was one of those things that the Engineering nerd inside me compelled me to do. Pretty impressive to see the ships move through. I guess the canal charges an average of $150,000 for a ship to cross the whole way through.

My Camera Lives!!!

2005-07-19T13:05:00.000-07:00

After a long day and a mix-up at the hostel involving my things being moved while I was gone, I dropped my camera hard on a concrete floor. There were no signs of life whatsoever and a terrifying thud-like rattle inside. I decided to sleep on it and worry about it the next day. This morning I performed emergency surgery with a fork, knife, coin and nail file. Somehow I managed to revive it and it appears to be working normally now. Tomorrow night I am off to Panama City by overnight bus.

2005-07-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

At the volcano you could hear the explosions at the top and see rocks tumbling down the hillside. Later at night it was possible to see the rocks glowing as they were red hot. After the volcano I went to the nicest hot springs that I have been to in my life. There were 18 pools of different temperatures, all were made of natural rock and set in a beautifully-landscaped jungle setting.

2005-07-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

I went on a day trip to Volcan Arenal which is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. In Costa Rica, unlike other countries on my trip, there appears to be some concept of liability (note the sign at the entrance to the park).

2005-07-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

I arrived safe and sound in San Jose and spent several days exploring the city. Unfortunately it has been raining off and on every day so the sightseeing had to be done in the interludes between heavy spells of rain. San Jose has some nice places but not like many of the other cities I have been to.

2005-07-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

One of the things on my "to do" list for South America was to cut my way through a jungle with a machete; mission accomplished. I was glad that it was only a 2-day tour though, I have never seen som many insects in my life and it was starting to creep me out a little. Tomorow morning I leave Ba�os very early and head back to Quito. From there, I fly to Costa Rica to spend the last four and a half weeks of my trip in Central America.

2005-07-15T18:13:00.000-07:00

Also on the jungle tour, we stopped for a while at a waterfall to swim and cool off. I swam in my underwear, but seeing all the giant leaves was too tempting not to strip down and take a funny picture.

2005-07-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

After a day of canyoning, I went on a 2-day jungle trek. Shooting a blowgun was one of many "unique" jungle experiences that I had. Others included a precarious canoe ride down a river, fighting with a monkey for my dinner, and being up to my shins in gooey mud.

2005-07-15T18:06:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I did in Ba�os was to go canyoning. After getting dressed in a wetsuit, climbing gear, sandals, knee and elbow pads, and a helmet, we climbed a steep trail up a jungle hillside. The trail consisted of pulling yourself up by tree roots and vines and getting covered in lots of mud. Then from the top down we rappelled down 6 waterfalls. That would have been exciting on its own, but we were late because of some slow people in our group, so we statred the last one (250 ft) in almost total darkenss. By thte time I got to the bottom, I was seeing by moonlight and was happy to be done.

Banos

2005-07-12T17:52:00.000-07:00

I am now in the town of Baños (Ec), after a bus ride filled with way too many "look we are there already!" jokes every time we passed a roadside rest area. Tomorrow I am going mountain biking and then canyoning and then into the jungle for a two-day tour/trek. I will post pics once I am back.

2005-07-12T17:50:00.000-07:00

I FOUND SACAGAWEA AND SHE IS HIDING IN ECUADOR!!!! The somewhat defunct dollar coin that was released with much fanfare in the US in 2001 only to be forgotten by Americans who cannot get used to the idea of dollar coins, is alive and well in Ecuador. The offical currency of Ecuador is the US Dollar. Greenbacks are the paper money of choice and the coins are an eclectic mix of US money and Ecuadorian look-alikes.

2005-07-12T17:43:00.000-07:00

Quito is a great city. It is a lot more touristy than most of the places I have been, which means more money but also a lot of nice things from home. One night I was there I went out to a really nice hotel-top restraurant that had great city views and it still only cost $7 for a big juicy steak.

2005-07-12T17:41:00.000-07:00

Now on to another question that has plagued me since I arrived in South America. "Which way does the toilet water spin on the equator?" While I was there, asked about 10 people (in spanish) if there was a toilet exactly on the equator so that I could see which way the water would swirl. Unfortunately I couldn�t find one. This one (clean water I swear) is on the southern side and flows Clockwise. Northern Hemisphere folks will have to see if their{s run the opposite way.

2005-07-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

Have you ever rode the equator as if it were a horse? Well, now I can check that off my "things to do before I die" list. Just outside of Quito is the Mitad del Mundo, which is a little town dedicated to making the equator into as big a tourist trap as possible. Fun all the same.

Quito, Ecuador

2005-07-10T14:55:00.000-07:00

After leaving my hotel at 5:15 am Friday, I arrived in Quito at 7:30am Sunday. The process involved 4 cab rides, a flight, two busses, a minibus, and a short walk, and our bus being briefly pulled over by the police for some reason or another. Nevertheless, it was a good trip and I got to spend a few hours in Lima (Per) and Guyaquil (Ec) along the way. I am also now at 15 out of 40 in my could of nights not sleeping in a bed out of nights total. 37.5% Baby!! I will post pics and photos from around Ecuador in the next few days.

Lima Taxi

2005-07-10T14:40:00.000-07:00

I left Cuzco very early on Friday morning to catch a plane to Lima, where I planned to continue on to the North to Ecuador. When I got to Lima I had an interesting ride with a cab driver about Texas. He said he had heard there was a town there that was full of devils and that they stole people´s souls. I told hime that I was new to the state but I hadn´t heard of anything like that and doubted that it existed. He also told me that he had 4 girlfriends in Lima and that ceviche every morning for breakfast was his secret to potency. Again, I thanked him for sharing and spent the rest of ride wondering what he would say next.

2005-07-07T21:47:00.000-07:00

After 5 days of hiking we finaly got to the site. It was very cloudy in the morning but it burned off in the afternoon and made for some great pictures. Since we hadn�t had enought walking and climbing in the previous 4 days, we climbed both the peaks in the background as well as a third that you can�t see. Machu Picchu is an amazing site and is omething that you really have to experience in person to appreciate.

2005-07-07T21:41:00.000-07:00

Sunset in Aguas Calientes, the day before our summit to Machu Picchu.

2005-07-07T21:39:00.000-07:00

We took a truck for part of our trek. Standing in the back and hanging on was fun until we picked up the following along the way: 12 large sacks of potatos and their owners, a family of citrus pickers and their harvest, 6 other backpackers, and 2 timbermen and their stack of boards. The driver also stalled the truck about 20 times and almost drove off a cliff. It all added to the adventure.

2005-07-07T21:35:00.000-07:00

At the end of the second day we descended into the jungle where we spent the rest of the trip. I was the only person in my group that brought good lightweight long pants and long sleve shirts. Lucky me, the mosquitos were really thick. One guy had 46 bites from the knee down on his right leg alone.

2005-07-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

Hiking above the treeline.

2005-07-07T21:31:00.000-07:00

On the first night, when we were camped by the glacier and it was freezing coldout, I got the brilliant idea that it would be funny to strip down to our boxer shorts and make a raid on our neighboring camp. We snuck over after dinner, turned on our headlights and started jumping around and making strange noises. Just as people started to pop their heads out of their tents, we vanished mysteriously into the night. Like I said, it seemed like a good idea at the time and was a lot of fun. I blame the lapse of judgement on the altitude.

2005-07-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

On the first day of the trek we climbed from 2100m to 4500m (14,800ft), where we slept for the night. We wereonly a few hundred yards from a glacier at the base of this mountain. It is called Salkankay (sp?) and it�s peak is well over 6,000m. Durring the night we heard avalanches coming down from the top.

2005-07-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

I made it safe and sound to Cuzco although my friend had his camera stolen while we were sleeping on the overnight bus. Cuzco is a very touristed city but it still has a lot of colonial charm. It looks like I will be leaving in a few days for a 5 day trek that ends at Machupichu. It is not "the" inca trail, but is supposed to be better and less crowded. I am sure that I will have lots of great pictures to post after that.

2005-07-01T16:01:00.000-07:00

Come on, I had to have at least one funny picture from a place called "Titi-caca". I resisted the temptation as long as I could but in the end, I caved.

2005-07-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

The Uros indians on Lake Titicaca have lived for thousands of years on floating islands made entirely of reeds. They first did it as a means of escaping their enemies and now they just do it as a novel way of hawking reed trinkets to tourists.

Out of Bolivia

2005-06-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I will leave Bolivia and head into Peru. From Copacabana (Bol) I will go to Puno (Per) to see the floating islands on Lake Titicaca and then head on to Cuzco. I will send more updates from Cuzco.

2005-06-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

After La Paz, I went to Copacabana on Lake Titicaca. The lake is really beautiful and amazingly clear. I spent all of one day at the Island of the Sun, where Inca legdend says the world was created. I hiked for most of the day and was exhauseted at the end. In Copacabana I am staying in my cheapest hotel room yet, $1.25 per night. Of course, that is for showers the sometimes work, a bath down the hall, and absolutly no heating when it is freezing outside. Even given all of that, still a bargain.

2005-06-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

After Potosi I went to La Paz for several days. While I was there I went mountain biking down a road that was called "The World�s Most Dangerous Road" in a World Bank report. It was 40 miles of downhill over mostly dirt and very curvey roads. The ride started in the high mountains at 15,500 feet and then dropped over 11,000 feet into the jungle. Talk about a serious downhill, it was lots of fun to be back biking again. The road is one lane most of the way so that when cars meet, one has to backup until there is a pull out. Since there are so many blind corners withouth guardrails, the trucks blow their horn as they are coming around to warn oncoming traffic. It was a ton of fun.

Lots of updates

2005-06-25T14:41:00.000-07:00

I got a chance to post pictures, so I did a lot. I am leaving Potosi (Bol) tonight for La Paz (Bol). I will probably stay there until Tuesday, when I will head for lake Titicaca. Happy reading.

2005-06-25T14:39:00.000-07:00

This is our guide with a stick of dynamite in his mouth and a lighter demonstrating that dynamite by itself is not dangerous. Before going into the mine we had to buy "supplies" which consisted of 192 proof alcohol, cocoa leaves, sodas, and explosive kits. The explosive kits included a stick of dynamite, a bag of ammonium nitrate, and a 2 minute deetonator fuse. The cost for one kit $2 and available to anyone who had the money. We bought some as gifts to the miners and a couple for ourselves. After the mine tour our guide assembled 2 of the kits and then we lit them off. It was a really loud boom.

2005-06-25T14:34:00.000-07:00

The tour that I went on spent 3 hours in the mine. Most of the time we were crouched over in the tunnels and at other times we had to crawl on hands and knees and down rickety old ladders. The mine is at 14,500 feet which, combined with the dust and dank air, made it very physically demanding. Eventhough it was freezing outside, the inside of the mine was very hot, making all of us sweat. The advice that the guide gave us was to chew cocoa leaves and take a few drinks of this 192 proof spirit that the miners drink. I tried both and tried to forget that it was only 9 in the morning.

2005-06-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

Miners pushing a cart full of minerals through the mine. If they have a good day they might make $5 or $10.

2005-06-25T14:27:00.000-07:00

After the dedsert crossing with the salt flats I made my way to the silver mining town of Potosi in Bolivia. In Spanish colonial times it was the richest city in South America. The mines are still active and operate very primatively. I went on a tour where you could see the miners in action, some of them still using a hammer and chisil to drill holes for dynamite. Nothing was mechanical and safety was practically unheard of.

2005-06-25T14:23:00.000-07:00

Ummmmmm, salt flat.

2005-06-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

For the last part of our trip we crossed a massive dried salt lake. It is about 150 miles long and 100 miles wide and has up to 30 feet deep of salt in certain places. This is a hotel made of salt that we visited in the middle of the lake.

2005-06-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, it was very VERY cold on the trip and that is a chunk of solid ice on the water tank.

2005-06-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

More cool rocks from a harsh landsacpe.

2005-06-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

This rock is know as the Stone Tree. On the entire 600 mile trip I saw no plant bigger than a short shrub. This is one of the driest places in the world because the front mountains on the Andes block all of the moisture that would come from the Pacific.

2005-06-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

Llamas, mouuntains, salt lakes, and frigid weather. At this lake I discovered that llamas do not like to be touched by tourists. However, I can say that their propensity to spit has been gretly exagerated. The one I touched looked pretty pissed but only stared menaceingly afterwards.

2005-06-25T14:09:00.000-07:00

This gyser field is at more than 16,000 feet and was the highest point in our trip across the desert.

2005-06-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

The peak behind me is a dormant volcano that is over 20,000 feet tall. The lake is one of many in the region that does not drain and therefore has a very high mineral concentration. As the water evaporates it leaves behind massive salt planes.

2005-06-25T14:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the truck that I took from Chile to Bolivia. The ride was really spectacular and also very cold. The trip was about 600 miles over three days across sand dunes and dirt roads. Most of the time we were over 13,000 feet including one night spent at 14,300. We stayed in adobe refuges that lacked heating or electricity. The night that we were there was below zero outside and only around freezing inside. I slept wearing almost every piecec of clothing that I had with me. It was a lot colder than this tucson boy is used to.

2005-06-25T13:59:00.000-07:00

Also while I was in San Pedro I went on a hike to some thermal springs. The water came out at about 90 deegrees, which felt really good to the body of a weary traveler.

2005-06-25T13:53:00.000-07:00

The valley that we rode to was called the Valley of the Moon. Oncec we got there we had to climb up a hill to catch the best view of the Sunset, easier said than done at 10,000 feet. The view was great and I took a ton of photos.

2005-06-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

After Mendoza I got to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. While I was there I went on a mountain bike ride to watch the sunset from this beautiful valley. After the sunset, I rode back into town by moonlight with a couple of my friends.

Bolivia, here I am.

2005-06-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

I left a day earlier than I thought for my trip to Bolivia. It was absolutly amazing and I have so many wonderful pictures. I am now in Uyuni and will be leaving tonight for Potosi. I will post pictures and stories as soon as I can, I just wanted to let everyone know that I arrived safely.

San Pedro de Atacama

2005-06-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

I am now in San Pedro de Atacama (Ch) and will be here until Wednesday when I will head to Bolivia. I am going to take a 3-day off-road trek to get there, so I do not know when I will next be able to post pictures or check email. I will arrive in Uyuni in Bolivian and then head towards La Paz.

Lessons from Argentina

2005-06-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

1) The morning does not start until you have had at least your 3rd or 4th glass of "mate". Mate is a very strong and somewhat bitter type of tea, they can´t seem to get enough of it.

2) If you try to ask for your steak "medium rare" it comes out slightly seared on both sides and moos when you stab it with your fork.

3a) My hiking shoes are made of a type of rubber that provides almost zero traction on wet surfaces (sidewalk tiles, manhole covers, stone curbs, etc).

3b) (derived from 3a) I have an incredible talent for flailing my arms and legs after slipping and yet somehow keep from falling. All with much amusement to the locals.

4) 2am is opening time for clubs in Buenos Aires and the sun is your cue that it is time to think about heading home.

5) Postage is very expensive and everything else is very cheap. Example: Mailing 4 postcards = about 200 oranges = 1 steak dinner with wine = about $5.50 USD.

2005-06-18T06:22:00.000-07:00

A look across at the Andes. We had a view of an almost 23,000 foot peak, the tallest outside of the Himalayas. While taking this picture another car pulled up and a coulple guys got out. I took a picture for them and we started talking. Turns out they are both from Houston and are young and work in the downtown area in finance. I got their business cards and promised to look them up once I get back in the states.

2005-06-18T06:18:00.000-07:00

Me hanging onto a canyon wall so that the gusting wind didn�t blow me off the 250 foot drop behind me.

2005-06-18T06:17:00.000-07:00

The road that we came up on the 4x4 trek. we had almost 8,000 feet in elevation gain to peak at over 11,000 feet.

2005-06-18T06:15:00.000-07:00

The hostel that I stayed at in Mendoza was a laid back and fun place. One of the owners organized trips into the mountains so on Friday me and one other guest from the hostel setup a 120 mile off-road trek with Pascal (the co-owner).

Fun story: He had just bought the jeep and didn´t know how to work the 4 wheel drive. At one point we needed it and he tried to shift into it. All he was able to do was get it out of 2WD, not into 4WD or back in to 2WD. This was a little cause for concern since we were in the middle of nowhere and couldn´t get the car to move. After watching Pascal fiddle with it for 10 min with no success, the engineer in me sprang into action. I got in the driver´s seat and had them push the car a little while I tried to get it in gear. Got it first try, just had to move the gears a little so the teath aligned. Disaster averted.

2005-06-18T06:06:00.000-07:00

It was only me and a french girl on the tour so afterwards the guide invited us back to his house for dinner and more wine. He was a really nice guy and is actually moving to Austin, TX next year so maybe I will see him again.

2005-06-18T06:04:00.000-07:00

That�s quite a bit of wine. The winery that we visited produced abbout 8 million liters a year, had a cellar for 750,000 bottles, and could store a total of 15 million liters on site. The name of the winery was Norton.

2005-06-18T06:02:00.000-07:00

Fountain in a very large city park in Mendoza.

Snowed out of Santiago

2005-06-18T05:56:00.000-07:00

I had intended to go to Santiago (Ch) after Mendoza but the only road has been snowed in since Monday and shows no signs of opening until Tuesday at the earliest. I guess winter came early to the andes and caught them off guard. Good for the ski resorts, bad for the bus companies. I decided that there would be no more waiting (i´m not good at that anyway) and am now making my way to San Pedro de Atacama (Ch), via Salta (Ar), via Cordoba (Ar). Now I am in Cordoba and the snow is still giving me trouble. The bus that I was supposed to take to Salta has been delayed by at least three hours. At least it gives me some time to post to the net.

2005-06-18T05:46:00.000-07:00

When I met my roommates in the hostel in Cordoba, I had a hunch that they were strange characters. When they busted out the fire sticks and started spinning them around in the backyard, my suspicions were confirmed. The two of them were from London and had been traveling around the world together for 8 months. It was funny to listen to them bicker like an old married couple.

2005-06-18T05:42:00.000-07:00

This is a busy artists� street market that I went to in Cordoba. There were all kinds of great crafts and they were really cheap. But with no way of getting them home, I just looked.

Mendoza, Mendoza (and more Mendoza)

2005-06-18T05:29:00.000-07:00

I have had a really great time in Mendoza. It is a beautiful city in the heart of Argentine wine country. Although I stayed longer than I intended, I have managed to keep busy by going on tours of vinyards, the mountains, and the city itself (see pics). Leaving was a bit of a challenge sinceI could not get to Santiago because the road was snowed in. I went to the bus station to get a last-minute ticket to Salta. After scrambling from one company to another and finding them all completly booked, I decided it was time to hatch a backup plan. I decided to get a seat on a bus to Cordoba (no small feat in itself) since it was sort of in the right direction of Salta. After getting a seat to Cordoba I decided to see about a seat from Cordoba to Salta. Good thing I did because I got the last one. Off to Cordoba.

2005-06-12T11:54:00.000-07:00

The remains of the car were pretty shocking. I was very glad that it was only a car and not a semi truck or other bus, otherwise our end would have been much worse. Aparently the driver of the car fell asleep at the wheel and swerved into the oncoming lane where the bus could not avoid him. Other than being a little shaken at having witnessed a double fatality accident, I am fine. I am in Cordoba today and will be leaving for Mendoza tomorrow night. From there it will be on to Santiago, Chile and then further north.

2005-06-12T11:50:00.000-07:00

As has become somewhat of a routine, I bought a spot on a night bus to travel from Salta to Cordoba. I eventually fell asleep only to be jolted awake at a little after 6 in the morning. I felt the impact and heard the crunching then as I woke up I looked out the window and saw the burning remains of a car. After throwing on my shoes and scrambling out of the bus into the cold night air, I finaly stepped back and saw how bad the car was. No one in the bus was hurt but the two people in the car were dead almost instantly, there was no effort to try to save them. After getting driven to the police station to swear out a statement along with the other passengers, the bus company called cabs to drive us the rest of the way into town.

2005-06-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

One afternoon in Salta I went with a bunch of my friends from the hostel to a rugby game where Italy was playing Argentina. I had an auzzie on one side and a brit on the other and spent most of the game asking them questions about the rules of the game.

2005-06-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

There are some things that need to be shared with the world, and I believe beer pong to be one of those things. One night at my hostel in the northern Argentina town of Salta I scrounged up some plastic cups, a ping pong ball, and a couple tables. From there on out it was all about teaching 2 Austrians, 2 Austrailians, a Scott, and 3 Englishmen about the game that so many American college students know and love.

2005-06-12T11:33:00.000-07:00

"Flamers", kind of an fitting name for a store selling metosexual-wear.

2005-06-10T10:54:00.000-07:00

A distant (very distant) view of the main falls.

2005-06-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

This is a view from the top of the main part of the falls. It was very hard to get a picture of the whole thing because the mist from the water crashing below would get on the camera lense.

2005-06-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

A view of the smaller side of Iguazu falls. I spent the majority of a day hiking around and exploring the falls as well as the island on the left side of the picture.

Iguazu Falls

2005-06-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

I got up early this morning and spent most of the day hiking around Iguazu Falls Park. Iguazu Falls is agroup of waterfalls that so grand that they put Niagra to shame. I can´t wait to get to a computer where I can share my photos beacuse they are really incredible. I got there early so I hardly saw another soul for the first three hours that I was there. The hostel that I am at right now is very cool as well. It is so huge that it has its own bar, restaurant, and pool (although most of those are necessary because it is in the middle of nowhere). I have been enjoying the nice warm weather here but that is about to change because later tonight I am off to Salta, Argentina. After a mere 26 hour busride I will be there (in the NW part of Argentina) and will once again have to break out the long sleves and jackets. I feel like I have covered a lot of ground in my first week, but I have to keep pushing on to make it to all the places that I want to go. I had thought about briefly going into Paraguay to a town called Ciudad del Este where aparently the main attractions are its reputation as one of the most dangerous cities in the world (smuggling center) and the fact that most of its residents openly walk around the streets with firearms. However, I decided that this would be a bad idea and took that stop off my list. Possible destinations after Salta: Cordoba, Mendoza, Santiago(Ch).

2005-06-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

I cam back to BA on Sunday to catch a bus the next day to Iguazu Falls. We got in around 12:00am and then decided that they night was still young and went out to a bar. Any live music usually makes for a fun experience, but this was better than most. The band was great and the atmosphere was perfect.

2005-06-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

All of the streets in the old part of Colonia are tree-lined and one can only imagine how nice they would look inthe summer in fall when they had all their leaves.

2005-06-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

When I was in Colonia I rented a scooter and drove all around town and out to the beaches which looked like they would be really beautiful in the summer. I also had the pleasent experience of getting hit in the face by bugs at 90km/h.

2005-06-06T09:13:00.000-07:00

I took a ferry on Saturday morning to Colonia, Uruguay. It is an old town that used to be a Portuguese stronghold in the 1500�s and 1600�s. There are a lot of great old building and quaint streets.

2005-06-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

Friday night in BA I went to a jazz show with some of my friends from the hostel. We had a reservation, but were a little late so they had given our table away. They felt so bad about it that they let us sit at a table up on stage where the band was playing. We were so close and were able to talk with the band between sets.

2005-06-06T09:08:00.000-07:00

On my third day in BA I finally managed to meet up with my friend Jeff from the U of A. We took a long lunch and then walked around the city a bit.

2005-06-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

One day in BA I visited the cemetary in La Recoleta, a very posh district of the city. Many historic figures and people from rich families are entombed here. Among others is the tomb of Evita Peron. I happened to go on a cold and rainey day, which I figured was fitting for visiting a cemetary.

A real update at last

2005-06-06T08:34:00.000-07:00

Last night I got back into Buenos Aires from Colonia, Uruguay. It was a great and fun little town and I liked it so much that I ended up skipping Montevideo. Tonight I get on my first long bus ride (18 hours) to head up to Iguazu Fallf, which are supposed to be amazing. I had made it a point to ask all of the other people I meet in the hostels about their favorite places. So far I have met lots of great people who have helped me add signifigantly to my list of¨"must-see" places. So far every night of my trip I have been somewhere that had live music which has been a lot of fun. I am actually looking forward to the bus ride because maybe I can get a full night´s sleep. I don´t think I have made it to bed before 2am yet. The clubs in BA are great, I have gone home "early" on both occasions, leaving sometime between 5am and 6am. I have lots of good stories in addition to the ones listed below and I look sforward to sharing them with everyone once I am back in the states.

Adios Buenos Aires

2005-06-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

I am planning on leaving BA tomorrow afternoon (thursday) for Uruguay. I have a little more to do here but then I will be off for to probably Colonia first and then to Montevideo. After Uruguay I will head up to the very northeast corner of Argentina to Iguazu Falls. That should be a great place for some outdoor fun. I´ll post more of my plan as I go along